Sick: the life and death of Bob Flanagan, supermasochist (D)

The title of this powerful documentary about performance artist and cystic fibrosis sufferer Bob Flanagan hits the mark on two levels. In one sense, it describes his physical condition; Flanagan suffered from the disease all his life and died from it at 43. The second, more evocative reference is to the shockingly direct sadomasochism of the artist’s performances. This is not a film for the squeamish, the prudish, or the faint-hearted. Even hardened viewers may feel disconcerted by Flanagan’s performances, which include piercing and penetrating of almost every body part by practically any sharp object. No other artist in history has examined so literally the experience of pain and the associated pleasures of sadomasochism and domination. Dick was also able to record a great deal of the last two years of Flanagan’s life, including his death, creating as comprehensive a portrait of an artist and his work as possible. (Awards: Winner of the Special Artistic Merit Award, Sundance, 1997).